Ferrous metal casting



April 9, 1935- A. M. HENRY 5 1,997,405

FERROUS METAL CASTING Filed Feb. 28, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 9, 1935. A. M. HENRY FERRoUs METAL CASTING 4 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Feb. 28, 1933 INVENTOR April 9,1935- A. M. HENRY y 1,997,405

FERROUS METAL CASTING Filed Feb. 28, 1935 A 4 Sheets-5h96?l 3 Jwunnull INVENTOR )www April 9, 193.5- A. M. HENRY A 1,997,405

FERROUS METALv CASTING Filed Feb. 28, 1933 4 sheets-sheet 4 l v M 60? u" 1I" 5 mum. I l 11ml. f6

INVENTOR :ill

.iaiented Apr. 9, i935` TENT ori-ica risnaous METAL cas'riNG Augustus M. Henry, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application February 28,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the casting of metals, and is particularly adapted for handling the ferrous metals, even steel. While perhaps most valuable in the art of centrifugal or rotary casting, the invention, or at .least all the features thereof, are not to be limited to rotary casting;` as will hereinafter become apparent and be 4definitely and positively emphasized by the language, of the appended claims.

The invention has been made with the idea of improving upon and extending the use of mercury and mercury vapor according to the teachings of U. S. patents to Dale Nos. 1,698,624 and 1,698,623 or of any liquid and/or vapor now known Y or hereafter discovered and capable of employment approximately as mercury and mercury vapor or the like is taught to be used in said Dale patents; with or without the assistance of the teachings of U. S. Patent No. 1,561,924 to the present applicant.

Rotary casting presents, importantly, the possibility of high-speed production of cast articles. But to take advantage of this possibility, to the fullest extent, the mold, by which is meant the mold surfaces of the molding cavity or cavities, must be permanent. InA order to attain such i permanence, that is, to avoid the use of sand or use of a metal mold. in combination with the' employment, in heat-exchanging relation with such" mold. of a vapor such as mercury vapor which can be utilized'as an easy controller of the rate of congelation of .the molten metal as .it is formed in-to a' casting in the moldingV cavity;-mercury vapor, for this purpose, having the unique advantages clearly set forth in said Dale patents. .The aforesaid Henry Patent No. 1,561,- 924 teaches the use ofl a mold which has a mold facing present as a preformed block of carbon densely compacted (such, for instance, as is used in making the carbon-electrodes" for electric arc lamps or the commutator brushes for dynamos and motors), or an equivalent. The rate of heat conductivity of this carbon or an equivalent is so much closer to that of the foundry sand with which the-ordinary foundry asks are customarily lined, than to that of a metal mold, that the rate of congelation above referred to is held down 1933, Serial No. 658,893

`lng a disk-like aswell as an annular characteristic, such as, for instance, a piston for an 15 engine; 4 (c) `An improved typeof engine piston particularly adapted to be fabricated by the rotary cast- (d) An improved method and apparatus for 20 the rotary casting, particularly in the kind of casting machine referred to under (a), of a disklike object, such as a railroad car-wheel, where the bulk of molten metal to be supplied to form the casting is unusually large compared to'hthe 25 size of the "gate" which must be employedfor the supply of such metal: and

(e) An improved type of railroad car-wheel particularly adaptedv to be fabricated by the rotarycasting method.

The invention has various other objects and advantages, and includes other features than those hereinabove mentioned; as will appear hereinafter.

The invention will be more clearly understood 35 l from the following description, when taken '.in connection with the accompanying drawingaillustratively showing `embodiments as nowl preferred of types of apparatus and articles of manufacture according to Fig. Ilis an axial section, showing the casting. machine of an apparatus adapted to lcast simulthe inventionrin which 40..

taneously a plurality of annuiarly arranged objects,.here shown as engine pistons of the auto- 45V Fig. 2y is a similar view, showing -the elements of said apparatus which function to .extract all said objectsv simultaneously after they 'have been cast;

Pig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the casting machine shown in- Fig. 1;v

Fig; 4 is a similar'view of the extracting means i y shown in Fig. 2;' v

Fig.. 5 is a view similar to 3,

bia-with uw Fig. 8 is alsoa view similar-to Fig. 1, but show-v ing, fragmentarily, a casting' machine for producing at each operation a single article,.and that article a railroad car-wheel;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the machine'offFig.-`8;

. Fig. 10 is a fragmentary side elevation o f an improved type of car-wheel; Fig. 1l is a section taken on the 'curvilinear line4 II-II of Fig. 10; `Ii'ig. .12 is a section stepped line i2f-I2 of Fig. l0;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a casting machine for producing the car-wheelof Fig. 10; and

Fig. 14 is a detail, partially in section, of the r casting machine of Fig. 13.

parts throughout the several views of the drawV Similar reference characters' refer to.sirnilar ings.

'Referring in detailflrst to'Figs; 1, 2, 3 and 4,' a spinners' I51 is rotatable about a vertical axis, by power-drive4 to a pulley I5 fixed on the spinner as shown. The spinner' is {mounted by ball bearings I1 forlrapid andyibrationless rotationwithin foum'ilill This spinner at its central upper portion is open to provide a bowl is, above the latter a plurality of outwardlyV I above saidribs aside wall 2i, `and in said wall a verging radially arranged ribs "20',

these. vpockets finwardly shaped,

-Y lspider-arms forming the lower makler. metals desir-ed mbe emp1oyed) ,-isdro pcd-finto .thebowl I3, rotation: of the spinner will spread the charge centrifugally and separate the same various casting pockets, to form simultaneously twelve pistons all' like those shown at Pin Figs'. l, 2 and 3 and having crankipin-mounting bosses like those indicated at p in these views.

vIn order to keep the iron charge `delivered to the bowl I9 molten as long as desired, as for instance in operating the machine by starting rotation of the spinner aftersuchcharge is in the bowl, or otherwisethe hollow interior of the spinner below the bowl is subdivided by a vapor-tight wall to provide, above a lower chamberhereinafter referred to, an upper chamber this chamberl for containing a medium, preferably mercury vapor, and hereinafter for convenience called such, which can keep the preferably'steel spinner parts at the proper high temperature. For this purpose mercury vapor of the high temperature y required is `admitted to chalutierl 25 through a capped'tube, having a vapor discharge opening ing 23. This tube is fixed. as is its feeding and relieving conduit 23:v there being a labyrinth ioint xed by 33 between the tube and a sleeve 3| within'a hollow vertical shaft 33 part of; the spinner. Thus, although the tube is stationary, and sleeve 3i taken on the irregularly a suitably 1 gas-tight manner foundation I8,and providing 'in its dependent por- .tion 4I a gas-tight securing means for the lower fo onvenience, as repre-5 intosubstantially equal portions between-eachpair of adjoining ribs 2 3,

and such charge portions will-be forced into thev 50 has oifset'i'herefrom, l twelve electroma'snets respond more or 21` anda condensate open-` 4rotates with the/spinner,- there is no possibility of mercury vapor leakage between thev two. Foundation IB-has a long vertical main bearing 34 for this shaft 33, and mounting the ball bearings I1; and between said shaft and said main bearing isa labyrinth joint 35. As a furtherV seal against even .the slightest leakage -of mer- -cury vapor past said joint 35, an illuminating 'gas barrier is provided, including a gas inlet pipe 31, an annular gas-tight shell 38 leading from said pipe, ports 39 leadingfrom saidshell, and match-- ring grooves served by said ports; these grooves being annular, one inside the main bearing 34- and-the` other outside the shaft 33.

Shaft 33 is thus a gas-tightbypass around tube, Y

25 and sleeve 3| for safely feeding to the interior ofl the spinner, during rotation thereof at any speed, mercury vapor under varying pressures and consequently under varying temperatures pursuant to the teach-ings -of said y Dale patents. The combined inlet and outlet for this vapor is through a passage?" formed in a. casting 4|, secured into. the bottom of end of tube 28. The upper end ofthe hollow shaft 33 opens intoa chamber 42 below the wall `24; this Achamber being mainly shaped like a down-` war'dly dished disk buth'aving upper, outer extensions 25' surroundingall the casting pockets 22 and their core structures 23, as clearly seen from Figs. 1 'and-3 -in which latter View there will be notedy openings 43"v in an annular wall 43 and which openings all-around `the spinner alternate with the casting pockets 22. Thesepockets, it will be seen, extend radially between said wall 43 and theannular wall 2 I. v

As soon as a casting operation is completed, that is,as soon as the twelve pistons Pare suiliciently set for safe extraction from their molding cavities,

of v the disk 44 is a strap 43 carrying an electromanet 4 5 the bottom of which is rounded to corless to.therotundity of the centralpartof bowl I3. The disk 44 is raised and lowered by 'means of a suspending rod 40 to the lower end of which it is secured; this rod desirably being dependent from overhead supporting and controlling means (not shown), as a tumtable' on an 'elevator on the travelling carriage of an overhead crane. Loosely sleeving the rod 53 is the hub-portion 5I' of a horizontal wheel 5i, so that the wheel is rotatable with its hub-portion relatively lto the underlying disk 44. Disk 44 has twelve arcuate and generally secantially extended slots 52': each slot receiving an upstanding pin 45 on a diierent one of the twelve carriages 46. In using this apparatus of Figs. 2 and 4: The rod 5I is brought into spinner I5, then said rod is lowered until the center lines of the magnets 41 are in the same plane as the centerlines ofthe casting pockets 22 (at which time the lower-endof magnet 49 is just or surplus metal as in bowl I9), and then said rod is fractionally rotated, if or as 41. On the bottom middle' axial alignment with the y or surplus metal as is in bowl I9. Then, by a suitable means not shown, the hub-portion 5I o f wheel 5I is rotated in the direction of the arrow R of Fig. 4, to move said wheel relatively to the disk 44 and thereby retract all the pins 48' to the inner ends of the slots 52. As a result, all the carriages 46, their magnets 41 and the castings P, are moved in the direction of the arrow E of Fig. 4 a sumcient distance simultaneously to extract all the castings from their pockets 22. Thereupon, the

rod 50 is lifted tothe extent required to raise the whole extraction apparatus and its magnetically held objects and materials above the top of the spinner, and said apparatus is moved to another vpoint in the plant for the removal,`as by magnetdeenergization, of vsaid objects and materials.

The new piston P is of the high tensile strength characteristic of centrifugally cast iron, and consequently can be made exceedingly thin-walled and hence of substantially the same weight as a`A duralumin or other alLuninum-alloy or aluminum piston equipped with invar or equivalent struts or inserts. Such a cast iron' piston is of high value, due to its own natural correct coeiilcient of expansion, and due to the elimination of localized points of differential stress and strain set up'by invar struts or inserts, there being no such expansionthrottling expedients required.

Referring .next in detail to Figs. and 6, there is shown a casting machine of generally the same design and having the same dual vapor supply means and chambers as the machine of Fig. 1; as indicated by the same reference characters employed in both these views. 'I'he spinner here is marked a. This spinner differs from the spinner I5 of Fig. 1, in that it, the spinner I5a, has its casting pockets 22a shaped as shown so that each will make a separate railroad brake-shoe S, and has ribs a somewhat different in form from the ribs 20 of Fig. l. As'in the case of the machine of Fig. l, twelve castings are made simultaneously; and these castings, after being made, can be simultaneously withdrawn from their casting` `road car-wheel against which the shoe is to be applied in service.

'. Referring next in detail-to Fig. 7, there is shown a casting machine of generally the same design and having the same dual vapor supply means and chambers as the machineofFig. l; as indicated by the same reference characters employed in both these views. Here", however, the spinner, which is marked I5b, has a partition `wall 2da therein which is somewhat differently shaped from the partition wall td of Fig. l'.-

This wall is provided. with apertures 5i therearound, each of said apertures having threaded th'ereinto the innei` end of a pipe-like conduit 53. These conduits extend through the chamber 42, and at their outer ends leadinto a continuous ring 55, suitably flxedin place in chamber Y 3 42, having spray-nues 55. The chamber' 42.,

in the machine shown, which happens to be for the casting of a 'car-wheel rim as a singleannular object to be formed at eachcasting operation, extends only part Way of the height, all

around the spinner, of Vthe.casting cavity for such rim, which last is indicated at M. To illustrate an employment according to the present inventionof the teachings of the aforesaid Henry Patent No. 1,561,924, the remainder of the casting cavity for this rim M is here provided by gascarbon or an equivalent, indicated at G. This material G isvsecured in place, by means ofh a clamp-ring 56, to a metal top or cover 58 of adequate weight to bear down properly, merely b y gravity, on the top of the spinner during a cast-` ing operation; vsaid clamp-'ring being secured to the top 58 by a suitable number of bolts 51 spaced cicumfe'rentially around the. ring. In preparing4 for a casting operation, top 51 is centered precisely and easily on the spinner by interfltting flanges on these two parts as indicated at f. When the casting operation is completed, the top 58 is removed from the spinner by engaging suitable lifting tools, as chain hooks, with three or more equal-weight andy equally spaced liftrings 55. As in the cases of the machines of Figs. l and 5, the chamber is for the high temperature mercury vapor for maintaining molten the charge of iron or steel in the bowl I 9 pending the dispersal of such charge from bowl I9 by centrifugal forcein performing the casting operation, and the chamber 42 is for the mercury vapor for controlling the date of congelation of the casting or castings. 'I'he machine of Fig. '7,l however, illustrates the utilization of further teachings of said Dale patents; the use of liquid mercury, and in connection therewith the latent heat of vaporization principle, in hastening the rate of cooling of a casting, say after the critical point referred to in said Dale patents has been reached, or otherwise. In the present case, liquid mercury is used in this way to impart a localized A chill to a casting. As is well known, often it is desired to chill the tread of a car-wheel or carwheel rim. In the machine of Fig. "l, this is accomplished, when the rim M has been formed, by injecting'liquld mercury through the tube 26 and the sleeve 3i into the chamber 25 to a sufl- .cient extent to allow` centrifugal force to spray said liquid upwardly and outwardly of the chamber 25 and under sufficient velocity to force said liquid into `and through the conduits 53 and thence into the ring. 54 and through the sprayholes 55, which last are' directed toward theparts oftherim tread it is desired to chill. To facilitate this liquid injection, the temperature and pressure of the vapor in chamber 25 is desirably `considerably reduced. Such sprayed liquid as does not vaporize falls back, as do any condensates thereof, to the interior of hollow shaft 3l, and such liquid as is left in conduits 53 or 'within chamber 25 drains back into sleeve 3i and the spinner sleeveas injFig.1, but the tube 2S of Fig. 1 and its appurtenances being omitted. Durto preclude v patents.

ing the pouring of successive charges ci metal to make the complete car-wheel, so'that the latter is gradually built up from the tread inward, all as hereinafter described, the mercury vapor in chambers 56' and 51 'of the spinner is maintained at sufficiently high temperatureto hold the metal being castto the requisite fluidity any tendency evento 'cold-shotting. As soon, however, as the wheel is completely thus built up, this same vapor isA varied in tempera.- ture and pressure to control precisely aspredetermined the rate of congelation of the casting as a whole as per the teachings of said Dale yChamber 56 is in the spinner proper, and'chamber'51' is in a top or cover 58' therefor. This top is shown as hinged at 60 to the spinner proper, and counter-balancing weights-are prolscribed in connection with Fig.14,.this

vided asat 6I, 6|. As will bey hereinafter dehinge is composed. of, and/or associated with, a number of relatively movable parts which are not only hinge parts but also mercury vapor conducting Aelements -made gas-tight by labyrinth joints.

Thus the temperature and pressure of the vapor in the chamber 51 will always correspond with the temperature and pressure of the vapor l chamberA 56'.

u This machine of Figs. a and 9 also iuustrates another feature` of the invention, .whichv is that of gradually inwardly' rroofing overV the casting cavity or cavities in a spinner rotating on a substantially vertical axisas the casting is more and more built up. Irithe present case, this feature is illustrated in connection with a car-wheel where the permissible nal gate, or inputoriflce for the molten metal, is an opening of the relatively small diameter ofthe axle-receiving cen- `.-thefspace defined by such iinal ter holeh, of such wheel, compared to the diameter of the wheel-itself as here shown-that is.where relatively to the bulk of the metal to be poured vas a totality during the casting vof the entire wheel and before case, for example, only one lfsuchfi'zlosures` is illustrated. Such closure here includes a metal f tating spinner and come vup to speed with theA flcient to hold the line annulus 4 62, suitably vsecurely mounting 1 therein proceeded to the remaining part of .tm chargefis/applled to the spinner, through the centralopening of the .annuius For instance, before the annulus 62 is applied, the car-wheel C is builtl up say to the dotand-dash line 63, and thenthe annulus-is laid atop `the spinner, and the car-wheel completed as shown. While the annulus 62 is being applied, the spindle continues rotation, at least at a speed sufered, by suitable overhead apparatus (not shown), so asV gently to come to rest on top of the rolatter-'whereupon lthe annulus-holding part of said overhead apparatus (which is desirably rotatably mounted on said apparatus) is'released and withdrawn. Now the spinner is again brought up to casting speed, if its rotation has been slowed down below that as a temporary step to facilitate adding the annulus as just described.

nuius., v:entered by lugs 6I on the spinner. is1 held Alifted up and away by its eyes.

gate 1S very ksmallY any part. of the castingbegins y -to set. Said feature involves the successive addi-V tionsfto the spinner of one or more ring closures :ofsmaller and smaller diameter. In thepresent 63; they annulus being lowlpintle and sleeves,

The an-A in place by its own weight, during rotation of the To remove the casting, the annulus is 65, the top l is swung over and away on hinge S0, and the casting isremoved as by dropping an expansion-grapple (not shown)H within the hole h, expanding the gra-pple and hoisting out course after rotation of the spinner has been stopped following completion of the casting.

Referring next to Figs. 10 and 11 and 12, an improved' type of railroad car-wheel is shown which has the strength of a double-webbed standard car-wheel yet -,avoids such av double web. A double-webbed car-wheel requires a continuous annular core between hub and tread, and the holding of such a core in place inel rotary casting spinner.

the casting-all this of machine presents extreme difficulties. s However.

the equivalent of al double -web is obtained in the car-wheel shown in these views by providing a single web which undulates circumferentially of are also desirably arcuate or curvilinear lengthwisely thereofbetwee n hub and tread. Asl these just-stated preferences vare illustrated in the embodimentV of car-wheel shownin Figs. 10, 11

wheel as that shown in' Figs. 10', 11 and 12 but' havinggenerally the sameelements and the samey dual vapor supply means and chambers asthe machine of Fig. 1,- as indicated by the same reference characters employed inFigs. 1 and 13.

' However, the spinner of Fig. 13which is marked lid, above Vits interior chambers,.Jc'misiderablyl like the spinnerv Ilc of Fig. 8, includingas it does,-

13 and 14, there is.

better load distribution and l2, such corrugations or groovings are indiavapor containing top or cover 58a and a vaporpassing hinge 60a. 4The casting cavity ybetween the spinner proper and saidtop is so shaped-jasv to produce the car-'wheel of Figs. 10, 11 and 12. V k'Such car-wheel, it will befnoted, as anvaxle-re'- ceiving central hole h' occupying a space relatively large as compared to the bulk of total metal ,contained in the completedr car-wheel, and so'a'nV annulus like the annulus'n of Fig. 8 is not employed.

Finally. as to Fig. 1.4, this veryclearly showsl such annulusis'napplied, and then the details of. construction of the hinge 60a of Fig. 1 3, vv'Ihe pintle 66 of such hinge is-a T-head =on a gooseneci'i'lv onthecover,` said pintle and gooserieckfbeing hollow and fthe passage in the" latter communicating withthe hollow interior of the cover; while the accommodating swingmount for said pintle is made up of a pair. ofv

sleeves 68'- embracing considerable end-lengths communicating with the passage in the pintle and also with the hollow interior of the spinner proper. -To preventl gas leakage between the asindicated at 89, Il.

Asalready indicated, and as will be made apl, A 'parent from the claims following, certain elements and features of the present invention-notably labyrinth Joints are provided I molten metal receiving station (such as or analogous to the bowl I9) in combination with a vapor in heat exchanging relation thereto additional to a vapor in heat exchanging relation to the molten metal after the latter has been transferred to its casting cavity, a hinge-connection or amechanical equivalent between relatively movable vapor-jacketed mold-parts which connection is also a conduit for mercury vapor or the like, and so on,-are not to be limited to centrifugal or rotary casting; but may be used in connection also with stationary or fixed molds, as, for instance; to facilitate the carrying out of what in eiect is the die-casting of ferrous metals. This last will be appreciated when it is pointed out that with the uidity of molten ferrous metals prolonged indenitely, as is made possible by the present invention, the' die-casting of vferrous metals, heretoforedeemed practically impossible, presents no more real difficulties than the presentday widely successful die-casting of low melting-4 polnt alloys and other metals than iron or steel; especially when it is remembered that in rotary casting the equivalent of a molten-metal-compressing mechanical ram is intangibly present as centrifugal force, and that in fixed-mold casting such a ram, either as a hydraulically operated auxiliary or the like, or as a sufficient excess amount of molten metal to act as a gravity head, is readily employable. y

The scope of protection contemplated is to be taken primarily, if not solely, from the appended claims; which are to be interpreted as broadly as. is consistent with the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by United States Let` ters Patent, is:

, 1. In casting apparatus, the combination of a main mold body, an auxiliary mold body movable relative to said main mold body, a mechanical.

connection between said bodies to permit the auxiliary mold body to participate with the main moldbody to build up a casting cavity or to be positioned to facilitate removal of the completed casting, a vapor chamber for jacketing 'each of said bodies, a communication passage between such chambers within said mechanical connection, and means for admitting heated vapor to yone chamber and consequently to the other whereby the rate of congelation of the casting may be affected by varying the temperature of said vapor.

2. In metal casting apparatus, the combination with a rotary casting machine having molten metal receiving station and a molding cavity re. moved from said station, said cavity being spaced from said station outwardly radially from the axis of rotation of said machine whereby centrifugal force acts to transfer molten metal from said station to said cavity during rotation of said machine, of a rst vapor receiving chamber in heat transfer relation to said cavity for controlling ltl'le congelation of a casting in said cavity, a second and independently served vapor receiving chamber for maintaining molten metal at said station at the requisite fluidity prior to and during transfer of said metal from saidstation to said cavity.

3. In a rotary casting machine, thecombination` with a casting machine having a molten metal receiving station substantially at the center of rotation, and a plurality of radially arranged casting pockets all facing said station, each of said. pockets forv forming a different article: of a. mount movable toward and from said station, means carried by said mount for seizing the castings in their cavities, and means for moving such seizing instrumentalities toward said center to withdraw said castings from their pockets.

. AUGUSTUS M. HENRY. 

